Bird Watching - Your Baltimore Orioles Update After The First Two Weeks of the Season
After a 2-5 start, the Orioles have bounced back to win five of their next seven games, bringing their record to 7-7. The whole A.L. East is a shitshow with nobody really showing any signs of dominating so far. The Birds have been playing better baseball as of late, which is good news considering they’re heading up to Fenway for a 4 game series. Here are some of the story lines two weeks into the Orioles season:
Chris Tillman Is A Stud
Tillman has been the brightes spots for the Birds this season. I know the season is still young, but Tillman has been showing Orioles fans that he has what it takes to be the ace of a staff.
Three starts and is yet to give up more than one earned run in any of his starts. He has a 1-1 record, given up 15 hits, 2 ER, has a.084 ERA, good for fourth in the league, 15 Ks, holding opposing hitters to a .188 average, and has a .084 WHIP. Not too shabby.
He should have won 20 games last year but the bullpen jipped him out of some late season games, and it looks like he’s on the way again this season.
Ubaldo Jimenez, Hopefully Too Soon To Tell
How do I say this nicely? Ubaldo Jimenez has been terrible this year. As I said above about Chris Tillman, it’s still early… but Jimenez has been hot garbage so far.
0-3 on the year with an ERA over 7, with 13 earned runs in 16 innings. Not the start you want to see from a guy who just got the biggest contract ever given to a pitcher by the Orioles. If you look at his track record, this is what you expect from Jimenez in April. Got to be better Ubaldo, no other way to say it. Some people in Baltimore are calling for Jimenez’s head on a stick already. If he is still pitching this terribly at the end of June, that is when you can worry. I’m going to let the guy get his feet wet, and I think he’ll be alright.
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Defense Is Nasty
Even though Platinum Glove award winner Manny Machado is expected to be out another month, and Gold Glove winner J.J. Hardy missed 6 games this season, the Birds continue to set the standard in the field. The Orioles have committed the least amount of errors in the league with three, and all three errors came from third base. Not saying Manny would have made all the plays, but Manny would have made all the plays.
The Orioles also have the highest fielding percentage in the league, a category they set an MLB record in last year, and I would say get ready for the defense to get better once Machado comes back in a few weeks, but I’m not sure they can play any better.
Lombo
Local dude and O’s utility man Steve Lombardozzi has played very well for the Orioles. After being traded from the Nats to Detroit in the offseason, Lombo was acquired from the Tigers right before the start of the season.
Mostly a utility player in his career, Lombo has taken over second base while Ryan Flaherty takes over third for Manny. If you would have told me that 2 weeks into the season, Steve Lombardozzi would have more hits than Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy, Nelson Cruz, and the same amount of hits as Chris Davis, I would have had you drug tested. I hope to see Buck stick with him once Manny comes back and Flaherty is back in the running for second.
7-7 after two weeks and a tough AL East heavy schedule. I’ll take it. Birds Fly High.
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